Gift under $10

Today I am linking up with some other bloggers {Erika and Andrea} for a Favorite Things Party. I racked my brain trying to think of a useful, practical, and cute gift for under $10.00. Here's what I came up with:

A ring holder!

When Ty and I first got married, I didn't have one of these. I would daringly set my ring by the bathroom sink or on my nightstand. Luckily, I never dropped it down the drain, or worse, down the vent next to my side of the bed! All of these things could have easily happened with my fabulous sense of clumsiness, however.

With this gift you can get kind of creative. I just use a little dish from Hobby Lobby to hold my wedding ring and other small earrings that I wear on a regular basis. 

Here are some cute ones I found from around the www:

^ This could easily be re-created {DIY!} using a small picture frame, some cotton backing, fabric and a push pin of some sort.

^ This was from Etsy and is over $10.00 but I thought it was super cute & wanted to share. :)

And here's my favorite ring holder that I found, and it's exactly $10.00…

^ This little cutie is at Pier 1.

There are tons of options for this as a gift. Some other cute ideas on Etsy I saw were small plates for the ring bearer to carry at a wedding, then use as a ring holder after! They were more expensive, but would be a great keepsake. This would make an awesome gift for any girl getting married soon!

And one last thing before you go... If you already have one in your bathroom {or know of a friend who has one}, why not put one in the kitchen to use while doing dishes or cleaning??

Happy gifting!

Christmas in the DeCrib {2013}

I wanted to get a post together of some of the Christmas decor we have up this year. This is Christmas #2 for us, and I would say this year is definitely an improvement {in the decor area} from last year. Luckily, I managed to find a lot of good stuff after Christmas last year on sale. This year was like an early little mini-Christmas opening up all of the totes and remembering what I got! Cheers for bargain decorations.

Front Door

^ There's a tutorial here for the wreath. What started out as a Razorback Football Wreath, transformed into a Christmas one with a "Merry Christmas" sign!

Entryway

^ I made this little banner to hang our Christmas cards on. These are last year's cards that I still had on the banner. Time to take them off and get ready for this year's!

Living Room

^ We received this Willow Tree Nativity as a wedding gift! Such a great present, even though we got married in June. I know we will treasure this nativity scene every year in our home.

^ The awesome beam that Ty made and hung for us earlier this year! It's almost like a second mantle… I love getting to decorate it for the holidays as well as the rest of the room.

^ This picture frame is one of my favorite decorations I got last year! I love the music notes and the different Christmas patterns on it. {FYI - I got it at the Country Hearth in Bolivar.}

^ Our tree! I love ornaments that are neutral, rustic, and "woodsy" as my Grandma Stevens would call it. I am also a fan of the big-bulb lights instead of the mini ones. I know it doesn't add as much light to the tree, but I am pleased with the overall look!

Kitchen/Dining

^ I also scored some garland last year and decided to hang some in our dining room!

^ Sink Window & Bookshelves. The bookshelves don't currently have a ton of Christmas decorations. That's my goal for next year!

Ty's Office

Since our main Christmas tree is a tad on the girly side {pearls, lace, etc.}, I didn't want Ty to feel left out. Plus, I got this little tree last year from Hobby Lobby for like $15.00 so I decided to put it in his office this year with some slightly more masculine decorations...

^ Since this tree is small, I set it on this giant spool that I got at a flea market last year!

I hope you enjoyed our little home tour with all of our decorations.

Merry Christmas! :)

High Five Friday

In high school, a group of us had t-shirts made that said "High Five Friday!" And what did we do when we wore the shirts? Walked around giving everyone high fives… Seems sort of ridiculous now, but believe me, it seemed really cool at the time.

So here's my take on "5 on Friday." My top 5 high points of the week {or upcoming weekend}.

1. Snow Day

Today's the first snow day of the 2013-14 school year! That's something to celebrate and take full advantage of. I've been able to catch up on some of the projects that I didn't get finished over Thanksgiving break. I was also glad this took place on a Friday: Three. Day. Weekend.

2. Possible DIY Scarf

My cute friend Camrie posted this picture on IG of a scarf that she made using a youtube tutorial. I am super pumped to try it! I've got the yarn, now I've got to just sit down and start it. I've never knitted or made a yarn anything… So, I'll let you know if it ends up being a success.

3. Bell Ringing & Christmas Caroling

Pray for me. Tomorrow I've agreed to stand out in the frigid air and ring bells for three hours with some of my students. Why couldn't I have picked Monday or Tuesday of this week when it was like 60 degrees?! With those crazy kids, though, I'm sure it will be a good time, even in the chilly temps. Hopefully we'll be able to sing some carols without our vocal chords freezing over.

4. Festival of Christmas

Every year, our town has a special service called the "Festival of Christmas." It's a time for community members and churches to come together and celebrate the season - and most importantly the true reason for it, Jesus' birth. I'm singing in the community choir with the orchestra and I know that it will be a lot of fun and a great kick-off to the week of Christmas programs {my church program and school program both happen on the following weekend}. 'Tis the season!

5. Some Christmas Song List Additions

I posted a list on Monday of my 10 favorite "un-famous" Christmas carols. Find it here. A friend sent me two more this week which was awesome… One of my very, very favorite groups right now is The Civil Wars. Ty and I both love their unique sound and folky style and we own their other two albums. A review that I saw online that said their songs are like "lullabies for adults." Ha! {In a laid-back, cool way. Not creepy. Or X-rated or anything!} The two Christmas songs that they've released are Tracks in the Snow and O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Both are performed in typical CW style and are awesome. Find them here:

 Tracks in the Snow

 O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Have a fun December weekend!

The Ten Best Christmas Songs You May Not Have Heard

^ I'm pretty positive that I need this shirt to wear every Christmas season!

As a choir director, I am privileged to have the excuse to begin experiencing Christmas music earlier than most can justify, typically beginning sometime around the end of October. A choir has to begin preparing for their Christmas concert sooner rather than later, or they will run out of time at the end of the semester! By the time December rolls around, we are 7 songs deep into the Christmas season and the spirit has been around for weeks.

I have always loved Christmas music; it brings about special memories and feelings that other music throughout the year just can't evoke. 

I know we all love the classics and the old favorites, but what about giving 

something new a listen?

Morgan's Top 10 Most {potentially*} Un-Famous Christmas Carols

1. "Winter Snow" - Audrey Assad 

2. "It Really is a Wonderful Life" - Mindy Smith

3. "Mistletoe" - Colbie Caillat

4. "Snowfall" - Ingrid Michaelson

5. "The Gift" - Aselin Debison

6. "Winter Song" - Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson

7. "Carol of the Bells" - Pentatonix

8. "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" - Casting Crowns

9. "The 12 Days of Christmas" - Straight No Chaser

10. "Rose of Bethlehem" - Selah

*There may be a song or two on this list that you have already heard before. If so, congratulate yourself on having great taste in Christmas jams.

So while you're blog browsing or shopping online this Christmas season, pull up an extra tab and youtube these great songs. You won't regret it! All of them (other than #9, which is a crazy, fun rendition of the classic) are very relaxing and soothing to have on in the background of whatever it is that you're doing.

Let me know what you think!